Miami University

Miami University Libraries

Frequently Asked Questions - Students

Where do I find electronic reserves for my class?

If your instructor has placed material on electronic reserves, there are two ways to get to them: (1) Go to the Libraries' web site at www.lib.muohio.edu and click on "Reserves" at the top of the page. (2) Go directly to the Reserves page at:

http://www.lib.muohio.edu/research/ereserves/

I found the listing of electronic reserve readings for my class, but when I click on an item's title, nothing happens?

Be sure that you have installed on your computer the "helper application," called Adobe Acrobat Reader. For your web browser to view most electronic reserve items, you must have this piece of software. Adobe Acrobat Reader is included on the MUNet CD. The software can also be downloaded for free from Adobe's website at:

http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html

The IT Services Support Desk can also help you install Adobe Acrobat Reader if you are having problems. Call 529-7900.

I found the list of electronic reserve reading for my class, but I do not see the item I want?

Your instructor may not yet have provided the Libraries with a copy of the item. Also, even after the instructor gives a copy of the item to the Libraries, it may take a couple of days to for us to digitize the item and add it to your instructor's list of electronic reserve readings. (If it's the first week or so of the semester, it may take 4-5 days to get material onto electronic reserve.)

I am connecting from off-campus, and after I have clicked on title of the item I want to view it starts to "download" onto my computer, but then it stops and nothing more happens.

Dialing in from can be frustrating due to the limited capacity of the local phone system. Especially during times of high internet use (typically late afternoons and early evenings, Monday - Friday), connections may be quite slow. Reserve items which are heavy on graphics or images may be especially slow to download because these digital "files" are large compared with items (files) which contain only written text. A large file, being viewed during a time of high internet use, may not only load slowly onto your computer, but may cease loading altogether. There's no real solution but to keep trying; or better, try viewing the item later in the evening when internet traffic is generally slower.

Why do we need a password to view some reserve items?

Some items placed on reserves are protected by United States copyright law. In order to comply with the law, access to copyrighted items must be restricted; hence the password to confirm that you are enrolled in the class for which the items were placed on reserve. On MyMiami, you may log in with your Unique ID and MUNet Password; from the Libraries' web site, you will need a password assigned by your instructor.

What's my password?

From MyMiami: if you log in with your Unique ID and default password, you will see E-Reserves for all courses in which you are enrolled in BannerWeb. From the Libraries' web site: Your instructor selected a password for a course when he/she placed materials on electronic reserve. Hopefully he/she has shared this password with you and with other students in the class. If not, please contact your instructor. If you have forgotten a password for a course, please ask another student in your class, or contact the instructor. Passwords are "protected information"; that is, library employees do not know course passwords.